Chapter 48 Missing Him
AMELIA
I was in the kitchen preparing Jeremy's breakfast tray when I heard voices.
Jeremy's voice. And another man's—Luca, I thought.
"—can't keep her locked up forever—"
"I'm not locking her up. I'm keeping her safe."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes. There's a difference."
They were talking about me.
I stayed quiet, listening.
"Just be careful, boss. You know what they say about getting too attached—"
"I'm not attached. She's an employee under my protection. That's all."
'Liar', I thought. We both knew it was more than that.
Even if neither of us would admit it.
The voices moved away, down the hallway. I finished arranging the breakfast tray—toast, eggs, and fruit that another maid had prepared and left for me to serve.
I carried it to the breakfast room carefully.
Jeremy was at the table, reading something. Papers rustled as he set them aside.
"Breakfast," I said.
"Thank you. Set it here."
I placed the tray on the table and started to leave.
"Amelia. Wait."
I stopped. "Yes?"
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning. Business in Chicago. I'll be gone two days."
My stomach tightened. "Okay."
"Luca and Nico will be here. You'll have everything you need. The other maid—Maria—will continue preparing meals. You'll serve them to yourself in my wing." He paused. "You don't leave this wing while I'm gone. Understood?"
"Why not?"
"Because I said so."
"That's not a reason—"
"It's the only reason you need." His voice was firm. Final. "You stay in my wing. You don't interact with other family members. You don't go wandering the estate. Clear?"
I wanted to argue. Wanted to remind him I wasn't a prisoner, wasn't a child, and wasn't property.
But I could hear the tension in his voice. The concern underneath the commands.
He was worried. About me. About what might happen while he was gone.
"Clear," I said quietly.
"Good. I'll show you where everything is before I leave. How to contact Luca if you need anything. How to lock your door at night."
"I already know how to lock my door." I said, annoyed.
He laughed and said, "It's a joke."
I nodded. "Okay."
"And Amelia—" He stopped. He then resumed his conversation. "Thank you. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I appreciate your hard work. You're—you're good at it."
The compliment warmed something in my chest. "Thank you."
I left before I could say anything else. Before I could ask why he looked so worried. Why he seemed reluctant to leave.
Before I could admit that the thought of him being gone for two days made my chest tight with something I didn't want to name.
The Next Morning
I woke to the sound of movement in the hallway. Footsteps and quiet voices. There was the sound of a car engine starting outside.
Jeremy was leaving.
I lay in bed, listening to the sounds of his departure. The closing of doors. The sound of the engine faded away. The return of silence resumed.
He was gone.
For two days, I'd be here alone. Well, not alone—Luca and Nico were somewhere on the estate. Maria would bring food. Security was everywhere.
But Jeremy was gone.
And the wing felt emptier without him.
I got up and went through my morning routine. Made coffee even though no one was here to drink it. Made my bed. Got dressed in my uniform even though there was no one to see it.
Routine. Structure. The things that kept you sane when everything else was uncertain.
I was in the kitchen, eating a quiet breakfast, when my phone buzzed.
A text. It was a number I didn't recognise.
I had a text-to-speech app that would read messages aloud. I activated it.
"Amelia. It's Jeremy. This is my direct number. Call me if you need anything. Stay in the wing. Stay safe. I'll be back in two days."
He'd texted me. He gave me his direct number.
In case I needed anything.
I saved the number and labelled it simply: Jeremy.
Then I sat alone in his kitchen, in his wing, in his house, and tried not to think about how much I missed him already.
How wrong it felt that he wasn't here.
How empty everything seemed without his presence.
Two days.
I could handle two days alone.
I'd handled worse.
But as I sat there in silence, I realised something that scared me more than Antonio's threats—more than being blind in a dangerous world— more than anything else:
I'd gotten used to Jeremy being there. To his voice. His presence. His protection.
I'd gotten used to him.
And that was dangerous.
Because getting used to someone meant you could lose them.
And losing them would hurt.
I finished my breakfast and tried to push the thought away.
Two days alone.
Then he'd be back.
And I'd go back to pretending I was just his employee.
That he was just my protector.
That this arrangement was just business.
Even though we both knew, even if we'd never say it out loud—
It was becoming something more.
Something neither of us knew how to handle.
Something that was going to complicate everything.
But for now, for these two days—
I was alone.
I was secluded in his home. I was in his space. Surrounded by his things.
Missing him.
And trying very hard not to think about why.